Acorns from Quercus robur, picked and photographed on an oak plank in Tuntorp, Brastad, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden (2022)
Acorns from Quercus robur, picked and photographed on an oak plank in Tuntorp, Brastad, Lysekil Municipality, Sweden (2022)
Quercus robur, commonly known as the pedunculate oak or the English oak, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, comprising beeches and oaks. It is a large flowering plant, native to most of Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It is deciduous and grows to a height of up to 40 m (130 ft), with a single stout trunk that can exceed 10 m (33 ft) in girth. The fruits (acorns) are borne in clusters of two or three, on a long peduncle (stalk) that is 4 to 8 cm (1.6 to 3.1 in) long. Each acorn is 1.5 to 4 cm (0.59 to 1.57 in) long, ovoid with a pointed tip, starting whitish-green and becoming brown, then black. As with all oaks, the acorns are carried in a distinctive shallow cup. It is an "alternate bearing" species, with large crops produced every other year. This photograph shows a pile of acorns, in various stages of ripening, taken from a Q. robur tree near Brastad, Sweden, and photographed on a plank of oak wood. The photograph was focus-stacked from eight separate images.
Photographer: Ann-Sophie Qvarnström